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State Senator Mae Flexer (D-Danielson) released the following statement after the Senate granted final passage to a bill banning the practice of conversion therapy on minors in the State of Connecticut:

“I am extremely pleased by the passage of this legislation, which will ban the discredited practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ on children in our state. A person’s sexual orientation or gender identity is not something that needs to be ‘fixed,’ it is a part of who they are as individuals and I am proud that the State of Connecticut has passed this law to protecting our LGBTQ youth from this dangerous practice that has lasting consequences to a person’s mental health. This legislation sends a strong message about our values as a state. My only disappointment is that a bill seeking to protect children from this abusive practice failed to pass unanimously.”

House Bill 6695, An Act Concerning The Protection Of Youth From Conversion Therapy, passed the Senate in a unanimous, bipartisan vote.

It earlier passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 141 to eight.

The bill goes next to the desk of Governor Dannel Malloy who has pledged to sign the legislation into law.

This bill prohibits health care providers, or anyone else engaged in trade or commerce, from engaging in “conversion therapy” which is described as any practice or treatment administered to a minor that seeks to change the person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

The practice has been condemned by a number of groups including the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Organization.